


Disconnected

by julietlovestory



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I love Lance more than my own soul, I promise, I saw this picture and my head went like.... WRITE THIS, KLANCE here can be platonic or friendly or romantic, Like Keith and Lance like eachother and the KNOW but havent told each other, M/M, Mind Control, SPOILER: NO ONE DIES, Sorry guys I'm all about klance, angsty but happy ending, but it was closeeeee, klance, so i did, your choice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:24:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julietlovestory/pseuds/julietlovestory
Summary: Always tired of being one step behind Lotor, Team Voltron fights to have the lead. A quick in- and- out mission out of Lotor's headquarters. However, as usual, things happen that neither of them expected. And Lance should've seen this coming.





	Disconnected

**Author's Note:**

> SO! I saw this amazing picture on tumblr! FROM THIS AMAZING ARTIST: https://maggie-m-mae.tumblr.com/
> 
>  
> 
> <https://maggie-m-mae.tumblr.com/post/163900744689/i-was-pretty-impressed-with-season-3-though-i>  
> 
> 
> So I couldnt resist myself, this was ENTIRELY self-indulgent and hope more fics our of this image come across on this website, but while we wait for the actual gods of writing to bless us with an amazing fic, have this one. I hope you do enjoy it. 

DISCONNECTED 

 

“Guys, we need to move! Pidge, Keith, how are you holding up?” Lance heard the commanding voice of Shiro over the comms, followed by several grunts indicating he was fighting some Galra soldiers somewhere on the space base.

“Just a few more tics, just a few more tics, I’ve got this,” Pidge whispered hurriedly as an answer. Lance could almost picture her, her concentrated face and the pinch on her brows as she worked on some Galra tech, trying to decode and copy all the information she could get her hands on.

“Keith?” Shiro asked for good measure.

“We have company,” Keith said with a heavy breath, followed by a grunt and strained voice as he talked. Lance imagined he has just taken down at least four centinels. “But nothing we can’t handle." The smug bastard.

Lance saw movement by the corner of his eye and with one swift motion he moved and shoot down two guards down befoe they even knew what happened,he readied himself for a fight, however, no more soldiers appeared and it seemed that nothing else was coming from the east side he had been assigned. He looked down his rifle, left and right, but heard and saw nothing, however, he didn’t lower his guard down.

“Lance?”

“Your sharpshooter has everything under control, take your time Pidge,” Lance said with a smirk however his smile wavered because for the past several minutes, unlike the others, he had practically been left alone. Although they had expected this, it still was… unsettling, to say the least, even more so when he could hear the rest of his friends fighting somewhere he couldn’t see them, “Does anybody need a hand?”

“No,” Shiro grunted, his voice sounded far low than usual, “Stay where you are, Hunk and I found cover and blocked the North way inside. Not for long though, we will find Pidge at the control room and meet you on the east wing, prepare to retire, Pidge, Keith hurry up. Does everybody copy?”

“Roger that,” Keith answered.

“Got it,” Lance answered as he let his shoulders relax infinitely. Now that he was truly alone and without enemies he wondered why that was. Usually their fights _never_ went this way. There was always one enemy after another. He shook his head, no, even if their mission wasn’t either top priority or dangerous Lance could never be too cautious. He took his bayard again and began inspecting the rooms adyacent to the main hall just to double check.

They had received news that Lotor once again was onto something, which was sadly not unusual since the Voltron team found themselves always a step behind his plans, whatever those plans could be, however, it looked like for the first time in mant months, luck was smiling at them in the form of the Blade of Marmora. They had come across vital information. They had finally not only figured out where Lotor’s headquarters were located, but also that they were moving to another galaxy soon.  

The second Kolivan told them this Keith and Hunk had gone to an ‘attack now that they are unprepared’ plan, going for the surprise now that they had it, however, Lance and Pidge were resolved on waiting.

“Because let’s face it, this guy is better than us,” Lance had said almost angrily, the fact that Lotor had escaped them so many times annoyed him more than he wanted to admit, “He has beat our asses every time we have fought him, unless we know exactly what is his next move, who those Galra Ladies are, and what they all can do we won’t win."

Shiro and Pidge agreed and after a lot of discussion and preparation they had come with a plan a few quintants later.

So now, it was moving day, phase two. Their mission—as much as Keith had complained—wasn’t defeating Lotor. The guy wasn’t even going to be there by the time they arrived and hopefully by the time they retired with what they wanted he would be halfway across the galaxy.

It was in and out. Quick and simple. Avoid confrontation. Get the info.

Their informant inside the Galra lines had told them they had a very small lapse of time in which they would be able to perform this task. In the first phase almost all weapons, important experiments, and dangerous artifacts were going to be moved and relocated under the surveillance of Lotor’s Generals, so no worries about crossing paths with them, leaving the space base almost unprotected, besides a few Galra Soldiers and the base commander.

However, that’s what Lotor had wanted everyone to believe, because apparently, even Galra tech had its own downsides, for example; the main computer database. Lotor had made a duplicate of said computer’s database, however, understanding how important it was and knowing they could be attacked on their way to the new and more secure headquarters, he had left the old control room with its computer untouched until he was sure the new one was secure and in place.

That’s when Voltron came in. They would have no more than a few doboshes to do this, since the second the new computer was connected and functioning the old one would, as Pidge said: ‘kill itself,’ a virus would spread and kill every technological device in the base, all the way from the control room to the very last securirty system, shutting everything down.

The huge headquarters would become a useless land of metal in seconds, trapping everything and everyone inside if they were not out before the virus started, neither Pidge or Kolivan knew if the virus would create a domino effect and activate bombs, and even though they would not be helpless, since they knew Allura and Coran could arrive with the castle and their lions would be outside waiting for them, no one wanted to be stuck here knowing that probably Lotor would get word of their doings and then everything would have been in vain.

If he was alerted that they had succeeded even though they would have vital information on him, Lotor might use this knowledge against them and change his plans all over again. Like usual.

Honestly, Lance thought irritated as he finished looking inside a very creepy laboratory, that guy was a bit too much.

 “Guys? Yeah, I don’t think we have a few more tics,” That was Hunk, “Didn’t Kolivan say the base would be almost empty? Because if that’s _so why – they— keep— coming?”_ With every word, Lance could picture him throwing punches and shooting his bayard.

A grunt followed that, along with Keith’s voice, who seemed on edge, “Pidge…”

“Give me a second!”

Lance took another look around, moving his body from side to side ready to do something….

Empty.

Empty as far as his eyes could see.

His stare trailed down the path that could take him directly to the control room and he doubted on his feet. He bit his lip to the point of almost bleeding. He should stick to his post.

The base rumbled a little and the lights flickered, hard enough that Lance almost tripped over his fret, something had exploded. Lance took two steps towards the control room, he waited with his heart on his hand for anyone of his team to talk back, he lowered his gun a little as his resolve diminished.

He shouldn’t, he knew that _. This_ was his part of the plan. The east wing along with its path to the exit was in the smallest and less important side of the base, everything here had already been moved, and all the rooms and halls Lance had already either blocked or cleared from enemies. He had been given this task due to his long range weapon and quick feet.

He had to keep this passage free for their escape; he had to trust his team.

“Guys?” Lance finally asked, “What was that?”

“That was us, I’m afraid,” Shiro said, but his voice sounded relieved and he could hear his footsteps as he ran.

“We exploded the controls of the north wing, all Galra Soldiers left? _Trapped,”_ Hunk said with a hurried voice as he yelled in excitement, adrenaline rushing in his voice making Lance relax, “Oh, Lance, should’ve seen me. Blowing up an entire wing, wo!!! Now I get you Keith, uh, no offense,”

“None taken,” Keith answered easily.

Lance chuckled under his breath, “You can tell me all about it when we are back in the castle buddy, second by second maneuverer and everything, just hurry up, this place is giving me the creeps.”

“You getting scared, Lance?” Keith asked and by the way he was talking it sounded that all fight in the control room had ended, “Never thought I would see the day. Too many soldiers on your end?”

And Lance couldn’t help but smile because he totally heard the worry in his voice but Lance decided to keep quiet.

“Shut up, mullet,” Lance said instead but he finally relaxed, lowering his gun at the same time, “So now it’s only you Pidgeon."

“Don’t call me that,” Pidge answered almost automatically. Lance heard when Shiro and Hunk finally joined Pidge and Keith in the control room and Lance muted his comms relieved. Everyone was fine and they would be out of here in a few tics. So Lance stood in place listening to their voices. Waiting. He looked down at the deserted hall before a tired sigh escaped him.

Waiting.

He annoyingly shot forward just to do something, the blue light shined until it found a metal door to collapse with and when it died suddenly everything looked darker to his eyes.

He finally let all the frustration of the battle out and yelled, half-heartedly hitting a metal door nearby.

What a work he had done. Keep the passage clear. Honestly, given the number of enemies the rest of the team had encountered he did next to nothing.

While Keith had been defending Pidge’s back— who was hacking into a Galra system at the same time that she did it without leaving traces— and Shiro and Hunk were fighting and exploding _an entire_ wing of the base, he had just…. kept the way out safe.

No one said it but Lance knew that it had been the easiest part of the whole plan. It had been so easy that he had been left alone. He kicked a chunk of metal near his feet before controlling himself.

A plan was a plan, no matter which part does he get. He told himself. Exactly. Next time, for sure, he will play a more important role. Definitely.

His blue eyes grew huge behind his helmet.

Lance felt it before he heard it, a shadow, a rustle; something was on the other end of the path. He almost jumped when he heard Pidge screaming in his ear.

“I got it! _Guys,_ I got it, I got it, I got it, now a few tics until it downloads and…”

Lance turned, ignoring the voices of his friends while he held his bayard up and ready to shoot in less than a second. He scanned the hall. He saw nothing. He narrowed his eyes and strained his ears to hear something. Had he imagined it? No way, he had felt it.

The path was empty and yet…

A shadow. Quickly dissapearing by the end of the hall,he almost didnt see it.

Someone was here.

His gun as buzzing and his breath was loud in his ears. But after that it was eerily quiet.

Silence.

"I dont... what is this?" Lance was so focused on his silent battle he failed to notice the confusion and alarm on Pidge's voice when she spoke. 

Lance breathed hard and the lights above him flickered again. He moved his feet, standing exactly in the middle of the corridor, ready to either run or advance.

“Pidge, what is it?” Shiro asked.

Lance tilted his head and focused his eyes, willing them to see what was amiss, turning each way even by the most minimal flicker of light. Maybe a soldier had managed to escape? Possible. However, he was not going to stand for this, this had been his only task, damn it!

“The info….”

“What about it?” Hunk asked, tone preoccupied.

Another shadow, Lance turned so fast he almost tripped. This was not good. This was not good. This was not good. Someone was here. But where? He refused to believe his head was playing games with him.

“It’s…. it’s blank?” Pidge said confused with a tone of anger slipping into her voice, “It’s… there’s _nothing_ on the computer! It was coded and it had security but…. It’s empty!!”

“What do you mean _it’s empty_? Did the virus strike already?” Keith asked.

“No! It means…. It means that it was empty from the beginning.”

“Maybe is double coded? It’s not the first time something like this happens…” Hunk offered.

“Well… yes, but…”

“Try again,” Shiro said patiently.

Lance breathed in as realization hit him, he instantly turned his body the way the control room was, while the rest discussed what to do with this information he was having a heart attack.

“Shit,”

A trap.

This was trap.

Shit.

Lotor knew. Lotor knew they were coming.

Lotor had been _expecting them._

That’s why no one was guarding the exit route!

He had planned for them not to escape from the beginning.

He had wanted them to lose time.

He had played them. _Again._

Shit.

“Guys!” Lance yelled, all but forgotten about his apparently non-existent enemy, and starting to run in their general direction, “Guys we gotta leave, it’s a trap, we gotta leave—”

And then, he saw it, the shadow that he had been fighting. One of Lotor’s generals appeared down the hall blocking his way at the same time that he remembered that he had turned his comms off. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

He needed both hands to fight.

Why he had turned off the comms to begin with!? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

It was the slim one, very orange, very pretty, and the one who apparently could turn herself invisible? Which was a pretty awesome power but that was left to be pondered later.

The girl didn’t move and neither did he.

“Listen, move aside, I don’t wanna hurt a pretty lady,” Lance said now aware that if this girl was here that meant the rest of the generals should be too, he narrowed his eyes as he pushed his brain to work, but why? Why had they been lured here? “We can call it even and let it be,”

Oh, Lance will totally fight her and shoot her dare she move an inch, but he knew that he needed to alert the others first, he didn't know what the plan was but he was not going to stay here and find out.

The girl just giggled and smirked, as if she knew something he did not. Lance took the second he had been gifted with to turn on his comms with his left hand before quickly turning his attention back to her, aiming and shooting as she expertly danced away, he knew he would probably miss, the girl was an excellent fighter, however, the plan was a success because that left the path clear for him to catch up with the rest. He ran as he fired blindy above his shoulder.

“Guys, guys, guys we are not alone we—“

And he realized, albeit too late, that he should’ve known what that smirk meant… especially when he used it all the time. It was the infuriating smirk of someone who knew he had won..

He had turned on a corner when he found himself doubling over in pain, an arm had shot from the darkness and had caught him around his chest. Hard. Leaving him breathless and gasping for air.

He didn’t make a sound, he couldn’t even finish his sentence, his brain shut down.

For a few seconds, he was aware of his surroundings. He felt a pressure on his back as he was put upright and the arm around his chest disappeared. He suddenly realized that the uneasy feelings he had been having had never belonged to the first Galra commander, but her… the woman with no eyes…

Please, no, he thought desperately, as he realized what was happening. Because as weird as the experience was he knew what was going on. He could feel the pressure of something else in his brain, moving invisible strings. Something unwelcome and foreing seeing and moving inside him. It made his legs feel heavy and his breath swallow. He could feel himself disconnecting. Please, no.

His head fell to his chest and his hands loosened around his gun, they shook against it in his last attempts to stay in control. His brain commanding his body to shoot, to move, to run, _to do something._

_Oh, God._

In his desperation he mentally called for Blue, the last ray of hope in his mind, his last thought that he was allowed to have, to fight with. He clung to her mind, to her warm feeling, and he felt her, her curiosity and her fright when she understood what was happening.

Lance clung to her desperately while Blue surrounded him, making him feel at peace and ease for a tic.

But that wasn’t enough.

Blue disappeared from his mind with a sharp, almost painful tug. He clung to whatever he found next, his family, his teammates. Keith. Each of them were disconnected as quickly as the last one. Soon he was unable to feel anything anymore. For a frightening moment, he was left in the dark. And then everything shut down.

He was out like a light.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

“Lance? Lance! We lost you, are you alright?” Shiro asked as he looked around the control room looking for any possible enemies on the top levels but once again it seemed like most of the Galra soldiers were either trapped or down already. Pidge and Hunk hovered over the control panel that was apparently empty from information, not that he knew how they figured that out, but apparently, it got them baffled, “Lance?”

“I’ll go and check on him,” Keith sighed as if resigned, “Probably he is more over his head that he wanted to let us know,” swinging his bayard expertly he went to the exit when they heard Lance’s voice again.

“I’m here. I’m fine.”

“Why were you yelling?” Keith asked curious, stopping on his way out and looking at Shiro. He had been yelling in panic a second before and now he was calm? Keith narrowed his eyes, “Are you alright? This is not the time to play hero, Lance, do you need help?”

“Keith’s right, Lance, we are almost over.”

“I’m fine,” He repeated.

Shiro and Keith shared a glance, a silent question shining in Keith’s eyes before Shiro nodded. Keith looked around the place, seeing that his friends were indeed safe before he dashed down the path towards where Lance was waiting for them.

Shiro crossed his arms and turned in time to see Pidge raising her arms above her head in exasperation.

“Blank, empty, dead, niente!” She said as she turned away from the screens almost fuming and incredibly annoyed, “There’s nothing to salvage here, probably Lotor emptied the computer from the beginning.”

Shiro sighed, “It’s not normal for the blade of Marmora to have misled information, especially for something like this, are you sure it’s empty?”

“I know when a computer is useless and _this_ piece of metal? Totally useless,” Pidge said exasperatedly as she gave a swift kick with her feet to the machine, all the while mumbling under her breath.

Hunk shrugged, “They can’t always be right, but it was true though that they were moving out, the only downside is that we lost our chance to track them down.”

Shiro nodded pensively, “We can discuss that later, now let’s regroup and leave, no point in putting ourselves at risk any longer."

“That is the only thing that the computer showed,” Pidge said annoyed as she walked to the door while activating her bayard, “We have a dew doboshes before the countdown starts,” She made a swing with it towards the computer, however, she refrained from cutting it down in half, “Let’s get going, not really looking forward to see what the virus will actually entail.”

“Second that,” Hunk said walking to the open jarred doors, looking outside before motioning to the rest to follow, reading his bayard above his shoulder.

“Lance, we are coming your way” Shiro spoke over the comms, “Be ready,”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Keith ran down the path that leads towards the exit that Lance had been guarding, Keith only wished they had not put a lot of work onto Lance’s shoulders, who had not complained once he realized he would be left alone. Keith knew Lance sometimes liked to place too much responsibility on his own shoulders.

They knew he could pull it off, there’s a reason they had sent Lance, after all. He had a long range gun, ideal to clear the path and also take cover from above, as they had planned. Pidge would be useless, as she usually was when decoding a computer, but given the narrow space that the control room was in, it made perfect sense for Keith to guard her back, not leaving her defenseless while Shiro and Hunk teamed up on making a diversion.

Hunk was a long range paladin while Shiro was the opposite, like Keith, so together they were the perfect team to narrow and take down the rest of the soldiers. Besides, everyone knew that Lance had iron nerves, the guy never hesitates when something needs to be done, even Keith had to give Lance points for that. And Keith… Keith appreciated Hunk, alright? But the guy left alone turned into a pool of anxiety and nervous questions that Shiro had made the right call to team up with Hunk. Shiro was like a balm to whoever was with him, a lucky charm, Pidge once had joked. Whoever ended up with Shiro on a mission somehow felt as if they couldn’t lose.

So it made sense to leave Lance with the part of keeping their way out safe, nothing would have worked out if in the end Hunk or whoever else, had been outnumbered, blocking their only safe way out.

As he runs past the deserted hallways, quickly noticing the burnt controls on the doors he realized Lance had indeed been here, however, there was still no sight of him and Keith wondered if the idiot was lazing around.

Probably was.

Keith shook his head not being able to fight a smile.

“Lance?” He called out loud, his voice echoing back. He kept walking down the corridor, however, the more he walked the more empty the place seemed to be, still no signs of his Cuban partner, “Lance? Where are you? _Lance,”_

“Here,”

Keith turned, bayard ready more out of principle than anything, but visibly relaxed when he spotted Lance.

“Hey,” He said with a smile as he lowered his sword. Lance was leaning against a wall near a dark hall, gun on his hands pointing slightly towards the floor, the light flickered above them, “I thought I was going to see you _way_ over your head here, but… I’m surprised to see you managed.”

Keith’s heart jumped a little on his chest, and to believe he had been worried for this idiot being in danger. Keith had just… well, reacted, he had sounded a bit scared before the connection died and even though he had reassured them he was fine… well, blame his soul if he wanted to make sure.

 _“Managed?”_ And Lance’s voice was harsh as the cold metal around them. Keith’s smile wavered and all tries for jokes died.

“Lance?” Keith asked confused. Lance only stood up straighter and Keith’s eyes grew more solemn, confused, “ _O_ kay? Fine, you did a great job but don’t—“

Suddenly Lance’s gun was pointing at his chest as he stepped out of the shadow of the hall. Keith furrowed his eyebrows, taking one step towards him when he saw it. He almost dropped his sword in shock but quickly recovered and took two steps backs. He regained conscious of his body and face and instantly went into fighting mode. All of it a pretense as his mind run a thousand miles a second.

All of this as he had to force a stoic face, make his heart of steel and his eyes icy, all of this a lie when inside he felt as if he was suffocating, while he was dying to just do all the opposites of this.

There was Lance, holding a gun pointing at his chest while one Lotor’s generals had a hand pressed against his shoulder.

One look into Lance’s vacant eyes and Keith knew exactly what was going on.

“Let him go,” He demanded as he raised his sword. Voice leaving no place for argument, “Now.”

The Galra Warrior tilted her head to the side but Lance didn’t move, even when the hand went to lightly dance from his shoulder, to his neck and to his face.

Keith felt repulsion at seeing the way she touched Lance like that. It wasn't normal.

“Oh, no, no, no. You see, we can’t do that,” Another voice said from his left and he turned half his body to see one of the other Garla half-breeds, what was her name? Ezra or something like that, the one he had fought with before, staring upside down at him, literally, as she had half her body inside a vent somewhere above his head. Her long ponytail was swinging upside down and Keith had to control his impulse to take advantage and cut her in two.

The girl narrowed her eyes as if she could read his mind, “Oh, please, Lancy Lance here will shoot you before you can move!”

 _“You_ , let him go,” Keith pronounced each word carefully as he narrowed his eyes towards Lance, desperation flowing out of him for a moment, “What do you want?” Keith asked with his signature aggressiveness, “If you hurt him, I swear—“

“Hurt him? Oh no, not at all, what fun would it be, right? Oh quiznack, he's asking all the wrong questions, isn’t he, Narti?” She said to the mysterious girl that right now Keith just wanted far, far away from Lance. She had no face and yet he could feel her stare. He didnt like how, as silent as she was, she was putting every nerve on Keith's body on edge. The way her hands danced around Lance's shoulders, how she tilted his head as if the girl could...read his mind. It made him sick. And even though he should be more preoccupied with what the girl was saying or what was happening around him, or the fact that all of this had been a trap… all his mind could focus on was in Lance’s stoic face, his rigid body, his lifeless eyes.

Please, please, not him.

“You have a few doboshes, then we are out,” The annoyingly alien said before she smiled towards Keith indulgently. Keith took one step towards her when he heard the metal click of a gun being charged, Keith stopped in his tracks and stared at Lance, had that… had that been Lance?

“Lance, It’s me… Keith,” He said almost offended, however, his friend didn’t budge. And his arm didn’t lower.

“Don’t be late, Narti,” The woman commanded but not that Keith was even paying attention, “Goodbye, red boy,” And she gracefully disappeared inside the vent.

Keith took one step forward and Lance pointed from his chest to his face without hesitation. Keith stopped. To say that his heart was beating unbelievable loud was an understatement. A cat, that seemed to come out of nowhere, popped from the dark shadows and climbed on the alien girl, Narti.

“Lance, Lance it’s me, C’mon, you know me,” Keith said softly as he took a deep breath and took one more step. Lance’s stance didn’t wave. “You know me,” He repeated as he eyed the man in front of him feeling a bit brokenhearted when he saw his empty stare fixed on a point on the wall behind him, no sight of his shiny eyes, always filled with emotions for Keith to read.  Emotions that had Keith feeling alive. Always lively and always welcomed.

Now they were gone.

“What have you done to him?” He asked angrily directing his anger towards the woman who had caused this, but he got no answer, he shifted his eyes from her faceless face towards Lance several times. The others must be here soon if they had not found trouble on their way here, if he could pull Lance apart maybe the effect will die, giving him enough time to recover and fight.

Narti tilted her head as if he could see his thoughts while her second hand danced on top of Lance’s helmet, moving his face so he was entirely facing Keith, just so his eyes could finally meet. Keith tensed and he instinctively gripped his sword tighter.

“Stop,” Keith said hurriedly, “Stop,”

The woman looked towards Lance, so quickly as if Lance had said something, the cat curled around her neck before she faced Keith again.

And then he heard Lance’s voice and this time what he said, the way he spoke… it left Keith feeling sick.

“Drop your sword,” It was mechanical, devoid of any emotion, of any warm or inflection Lance always put into his words. Keith had never realized this before today.

“Lance, you know me, we have been friends for—“

A blast that almost burned his arm. Keith froze in place, hearing the burning metal behind him.

“Drop. Your. Sword.”

Keith lowered his sword to the floor as he eyed the Narti girl, he just needed a diversion, something quick, and he needed to be closer. He looked towards Lance again, stoic and cold. Empty.

“Lance. I know you,” Keith finally changed his words, taking one more step towards Lance and when he didn’t shoot he took another, hand raised in a peaceful manner, but a bit turned to the front, as if willing to either catch Lance or hold him dare he suddenly recognize him. Keith was completely ignoring the woman, his only mission now was getting to Lance, as fast as he could, away from everything that was happening here, “I know you wouldn’t hurt your friends. And I—goddamnit Lance, you are there, inside, fighting, right?  That’s what you do, you fight, _so fight,_ Lance.”

He took one more step and Keith had to dodge the blast that followed. He was just four steps away now.

He saw a blink of light behind Narti and he quickly fixed his eyes on Lance again.

“If you are not going to let him go, then I’ll take him along,” Keith said between his teeth. He didn’t understand what the plan was here but he wasn’t fond of staying to find out, “So move or fight,”

The girl did neither and Keith had to refrain himself from yelling, he had to focus and stay sane here. One step wrong and something could end badly, ironically the only person he thought who could he get an idea to get out of this was the one who was being controlled. He turned towards Lance as if he could be any help.

Another flicker of light near him, this time it lasted longer, and he knew he had to act, he had a few tics at most, however, he didn’t know how to make this safe for Lance in any other way besides from what he was thinking. He nodded.

“Lance, I’ve got you, alright?” Keith said softly as if Narti wouldn’t be able to hear him, and slowly, hands raised, his eyes focused on Lance's, took the final two steps, until the gun was pressed against his chest, “I’ve got you, everything will be alright,”

Keith smiled to the empty façade of Lance, to the empty eyes and the icy soul.

“If you had wanted me dead… I would be dead already,” He said softly as he placed a hand on top of the gun as Lance readied his gun again, not really knowing who he was talking to anymore, “Isn’t it? Sharpshooter?”

And then he pushed.

Everything happened in an instant. The space station lights flickered and died, the lights turning red as the emergency system kicked hin, a loud a siren could be heard. The virus had started.

A yell.

A Lion roar.

Two shots.

And Pain.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hunk and Shiro had come from behind, the later shooting the Galra woman in the back that had his hands on Lance with a massive blast of his gun, missing Lance by an inch when Keith pulled him towards his chest and away from the collision.

The Galra soldier had recoiled into herself before painfully moving away from the path, her cat hissing at them, and even though they both looked ready to fight, they could see their resolve wavering when they heard a lion’s roar. This time nearer and louder than before, so close indeed that the entire place shook. Not a second later the entrance collapsed under the weight of Blue,  who destroyed whatever was left of the metal rooftop.

“Hunk, take Lance, we gotta go,” Shiro screamed over the alarm as he pushed the injured Narti away, arm glowing ready to fight, the last of Lotor’s Generals in the place quickly found herself on disadvantage and retired. Shiro watched her go as he shouted over his shoulder several orders however, he was interrumpted by the low whimper of Hunk and the terrified voice of Pidge.

“Oh, no, Shiro… Shiro,” Pidge said in panic, _“Shiro!”_

Shiro eyed Blue, eyes huge behind his helmet as he realized that if Blue was here, moving without a pilot, something had happened to Lance. She had already dropped her jaw to the floor to welcome them when Shiro turned hurriedly.

Red. There was a lot of red. And it wasn’t the light.

He quickly kneeled down in front Keith, who was grunting on his side, hands clasped above his side that was heavily bleeding. He fought to keep his eyes open, however, his eyes were not lost, but rather fixed in the vacant sight of Lance next to him.

Lance was still out, passed out beside Keith, helmet almost removed and his eyes eerily open and unfocused… almost… dead. Shiro pressed a hand to his chest and felt the slow rise and fall of his breathing. Not again.

 _“What happened?”_ Pidge said desperately as she pressed her tiny hand along the bloodied ones of Keith's in an attempt to help, “We need to move, we need to get back to the castle, now.”

Shiro didn’t waste another second, coming down from his stupor he carefully but quickly picked Keith into his arms. Keith grunted something, his hand shooting towards Lance, trying to say something. Hunk did the same with Lance and without another word, they ran to blue and climbed inside her.

“Why is he… Is he…” Keith whispered as he whimpered in pain a second later, doubling sligthly over his chest.

“Keith, don’t move, we will be in the castle in a few tics,” Shiro said as he softly placed Keith on the metal ground inside Blue's cockpit, just beside Lance, who was looking up at the ceiling, Hunk hovering above him. He didn’t look injured, but as much as Hunk talked to him he seemed to be in shock, frozen… “Princess, Coran, Keith and Lance are down, ready the medical bay,”

“The medical pods are already waiting,” Allura informed him as Shiro quickly looked around Blue for anything that looked like a survival kit. Black had one, but he had never been inside blue more than a few times to actually know if all Lions worked the same, "What happened?"

"Keith got shot and Lance..." Shiro looked around, metal hand clenching in anxiousness as he tried a few cabinets, "Lance is..." he looked over to Lance and bit his lip. Wht had happened to Lance? "Lance passed out,"

As if sensing his distress a metal drawer opened, revealing several medical things that could help stopping Keith’s bleeding until they reached the castle.

“Pidge! Get going!” Hunk yelled,

Pidge was the one on the seat and as a miracle, it looked like blue was responding to her commands, not that any of them really cared at the moment as to why her. They could almost feel the pain in Blue as she moved to her legs as fast as she could.

“I’ve got him Blue, now is your turn, help us along, please, please, please,” Hunk said under his breath as he patted one side of Blue's walls. Pidge tried a few commands before forcing Blue out of the lunar floor. All of them too preoccupied to notice that the base had begun to shut down, a few places catching fire and exploding while the metal burned.

“How long Pidge?” Shiro asked as he saw with alarm how fast the white bandages turned red and how hard Keith was breathing. He saw the way Keith"s head rolled and Shiro hurried to take his helmet off.

“Two doboshes—“ A metal roar, “Make that one, just— don’t you dare, okay?!” Pidge said to no one as she pushed Blue faster. “Don’t you dare you morons,”

Pidge saw another ship leaving the chaos that was now the little planet, but she paid little to no attention, filling that information for later. When the castle came into view and growing bigger and bigger, Allura dropped the particle barrier.

“Keith, stay with us, eyes open, calm your heart,” Shiro said warmly as he pressed a hand on his shoulder. Keith’s eyes were wide open, painfully focused on Lance’s vacant stare.

“Why…”

Hunk looked towards Keith and shook his head, as if he knew the question but not the answer. Why was Lance not responding? Why wasn’t Lance back to normal? Why his blue eyes still looked icy and why his joyful face still looked empty? Why, even when he had been tugged away from the woman…. He still looked _hollow?_

Why?

Keith felt as if he was being ripped apart by two places at once.

“Lance,” Keith said and moved one hand to land on the Cuban’s boy shoulder, shaking him slightly as Blue shook in her effort to go faster. Lance's head rolled to the side without resistance. Keith whimpered, almost regetting to have the bluest eyes he had ever seen looking past him. Shiro ignored how Keith’s eyes watered and if Hunk noticed he kept quiet too, “Lance, _please”_

Please, no.

“He will be alright,” Hunk said, pressing Keith’s free hand, but he didn’t know if he said it for Keith or for himself.

Keith didn’t move his hand, or his eyes, until they landed.

Come back, please

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"How did the mission go?" Lotor asked, his face wavering for a moment on the screen of the ship Naytir and Ezor were escaping in.

"A success!" Ezor smirked while Narti, just a step behind her, petted her cat, she tilted her head, "Although a bit boring on my end, no fighting was really boring,,"

"You are starting to sound like Zethried, Ezor,"

The mission was never killing, or injure a Paladin, one dies and another would take the place.

No, Lotor wanted to tear down the team from the inside. The mission was a success on all fronts, Narti had done her mission expertly, as always. Plus now he knew exactly who was the Galra informant inside of his ranks. He will have to oversee that in person.

"Good job, I'll see you when you get back," Lotor ended the connection and turned around in his headquarters. The same ones he had always had, located strategically in the galaxy, the very place from where he would see Voltron fall apart.

**Author's Note:**

> No one dies!! I just didn't find the inspiration to continue, but I'm working on the second part if anybody is interested. Now that I let all my feelings flow outside of my system I can finally catch some rest.
> 
> Let me know how I did? 
> 
> And thank you for reading!


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